With a flick of her fingers, the dagger shattered into dust, causing Ryuen’s eyes to widen.
But he had no ti to dwell on his destroyed weapon.
He picked up his axe, which he had thrown earlier, and rose back up.
Thankfully, she didn’t attack, so they continued.
A series of attacks, near-dodges, and counterattacks turned the chamber into a raging snowstorm.
While she was using her abilities, Ryuen managed to keep up with his physical strength.
And the vital restoration that helped heal him—faster than he had imagined.
However, his muscles burned from exhaustion.
His breathing ca in short, visible puffs of mist.
He landed a few hits—slashes along her arm, a stab at her side—but they were shallow.
She barely seed affected, and unfortunate, she healed at a fast rate as well.
Then, just as he was preparing his next move, she raised her hand to stop him.
She stood still, arms crossed, while her gaze remained fixed on him.
Filled with sothing he couldn’t quite make out in her eyes.
"You are unique and strong," she admitted, a smile on her lips.
"Stronger than most humans I encountered before getting trapped here."
Ryuen smiled warmly. "I appreciate it."
She tilted her head slightly, and the frost and ice around them began to settle.
"The fact that you are willing to continue fighting a Yokai, despite your current level, is quite... strange."
"I intend to get you to use your full strength."
"Ouu..." she laughed softly. "A human with a hunger for more power."
Ryuen chuckled nervously. "Not actually."
She was, in fact, correct, but he would never bring himself to admit it.
That would make him seem overconfident.
And that had never ended well.
Yuki-Onna exhaled again and dropped her hand.
"Tell , why did you decide to fight a Yokai—daring to stand before one with your head held high?"
Ryuen shrugged nonchalantly. "Because fear increases your power," he paused.
"And I am not scared of you... You’re actually... to be respectful, beautiful."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You also dare tease one."
"I believe I am as truthful as you are. Believe , you are beautiful."
"Flattery, then?"
Ryuen chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe." The axe in his hands vanished, but he remained on high alert.
She took a step forward—or at least, that’s what it seed like.
In an instant, she appeared before Ryuen.
Gazing up at him with curious blue eyes, she asked, "How did you get in here, mortal?"
"Through a door," he answered and shifted his gaze to her throne, then back to her.
"The sa way one is supposed to enter a place."
She shook her head slowly. "There is no door into the forest before here. Nor the cave," she frowned. "How exactly did you get here?"
"I just closed my eyes and found myself here."
And that was the truth—or at least, the closest thing to the truth.
He couldn’t see himself ntioning the system to her.
Despite what she was. Human, immortal, god or deity, he won’t be telling anyone about he system yet.
"You called by my na without hesitation... Do you know how risky that is?"
"Yes, I do," he answered almost imdiately, but then his gaze darkened. "You don’t intend to kill , right?"
"I do. I just felt that talking to your kind wouldn’t hurt, especially since the last one brought nice clothing before I ripped their head off."
She said and gestured at a dark corner in the chamber, where bones, skulls, and rags were piled up.
Evidence of what she did to those who dared step into her territory.
Yet, he still didn’t back down.
Ryuen smiled and turned back to her. "You’re actually not as bad as they paint you to be."
"I intend to be worse. What is your purpose here, human?"
"I ca to see if the story of the beauty that died in the forest during a blizzard is true," he leaned closer, staring deep into her eyes.
"And it actually is."
There was a chance this woman before him wouldn’t hesitate to put a spike of ice through his heart.
But he was willing to take the risk.
After all, she could be good or bad, and he wasn’t actually seeing the bad side of her that people spoke of.
He only saw a very territorial, restless Yokai.
Yuki-Onna stepped back, oddly uncomfortable with his stare.
Yes, a human’s stare.
But Ryuen wasn’t going to back down until he got what he wanted.
He was going to ta her as his first beast—or in this case, his first Yokai companion.
"Tell , Yuki... I heard you kill people by breathing cold air into their lungs... and then you drag out whatever energy is within them..." He paused and smirked.
"That works with a kiss, right?"
"Correct."
"That’s wonderful... why don’t you grant that instead, as the first mortal to leave a mark on you?"
He stepped closer to her, cautiously reaching out to touch her.
And almost imdiately, he felt how cold her skin was.
That cold seeped into him, turning the tips of his fingers blue.
If he continued, he would obviously freeze to death, but how would he gain her trust without risking it?
He smiled and raised her head to look at him, then smiled again.
"You’re even more adorable when you’re not trying to kill soone."
"I don’t know why my kind keeps drawing and making illustrations of you like you’re an old woman."
He smirked and leaned in.
"They actually judged the cover before the inside," he paused and tilted his head. Half of his fingers were blue.
"Even though you’re beautiful on both sides."
"You’re putting your life on the line, mortal," she finally said after staring at him, speechless, for a while.
She couldn’t actually believe it—the first being to dare do what no one would even think of.
She felt glad, but at the sa ti, he had trespassed, and she hated that.
"You’re trespassing on a Yokai’s territory."
"I know," he mumbled and leaned closer.
Their faces were inches apart, and now he had his palms on her face.
He couldn’t deny that her skin was oddly soft, but at the sa ti, his hands were slowly freezing.
"You won’t kill if I kiss you, right?" he asked, knowing full well he was touching the tail of a tiger.
"I definitely would."
"And I do not care," he uttered, and without warning, sealed the gap between them.
He could feel his entire body shivering from the contact, but at the sa ti, he was doing it for his own gain.
He watched as her eyes slowly closed, giving in. Then he gently bit her lips—barely enough to cause pain—and he drew blood.
As much as it disgusted him, he had to.
Why?
A Yokai is a spirit or a creature that has no soul or even a physical body.
But then, was a yokai with blood.
Which ant, she could be part human and Yokai, or sothing entirely different.
Because there was no trace or record of her body. So no one was certain it was actually the blizzard that killed her.
Neither was it an animal.
Since was originally human and died, becoming what she is now—which ant he could take her abilities or skills without her knowing.
As risky as it seed, he did get what he wanted.
A few seconds passed.
He decided to withdraw, and for that mont, he saw her lips flash red before returning to their lifeless blue.
"I’m glad you didn’t decide to kill at that mont," Ryuen said, chuckling softly at how speechless and taken aback she was.
She didn’t say anything.
She was silent, so Ryuen decided to use that ti to his advantage.
A screen popped up before him, displaying the usual notification.
[Alert: Yokai Abilities Detected]
---
You have successfully devoured an essence of Yuki-Onna!
New abilities unlocked:
Frostbound Coffin → Encases a target in supernatural ice for a set duration.
Icebound Touch → A single touch can freeze objects or enemies.
Mist Veil → Allows partial transformation into mist or snow for evasive movent.
---
[Warning: Overuse may result in lowered body temperature and energy drain.]
"Partial devouring, huh?" he mumbled, satisfied that he had gotten what he wanted.
But then, another screen appeared beside it
[Covenant Activated]
[Host has been granted the ability to make pacts with various creatures.]
[Decline/Accept]
"Accept."
[Integration Complete]
[To seal the pact, make physical contact with the being of choice.]
His gaze instantly moved to the dazed Yokai, then he smiled.
"Hey, Yuki..."
She shifted her gaze to him, clearly displeased with his boldness. "Speak."
"That’s a little harsh..." he chuckled and tilted his head.
"You ntioned sothing about being permanently trapped here, right?"
"And how does that concern you?"
"I’ll help you get out..."
"Why do I feel like this will cost ?"
"Because it already has. I took a fraction of your abilities," he said, and her eyes slowly widened. But then he smiled.
"I didn’t take all, just an essence—say, forty percent of one ability."
"So seal a pact with , and I’ll give you access to the real world."
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